The present invention relates to magazine carriers for use with firearms, and more particularly to a magazine carrier that has several unique capabilities.
It is well known that the first rifle design to use a tubular magazine was the Volition Repeating Rifle, designed by inventor Walter Hunt in 1848. Magazine designs have since evolved beyond rifles to also include applications for pistols such as the modern AR-15 pistol. Modern firearm magazines are now available to hold ammunition in several configurations and basic shapes. Examples of configurations in the prior art include single column, staggered (double stack) and quad column. Examples of shape evolution in magazine housings include straight (linear), curved (arc), rotary magazines, drum magazines and even helical magazines. However, regardless of the magazines of prior art, ammunition capacity or ability to feed into a firearm, the basic design itself has several notable deficiencies which will next be discussed.
A common risk typically faced by both military and police officers while preparing to enter a hostile area (for example, a police raid on a drug dealer's residence, foot chases with decreased lighting conditions, or search and acquire target missions where noise discipline is imperative) is the risk of being detected by a target too early before the room is breached. Premature detection by an armed and dangerous subject gives the subject additional time to dedicate to his decision making process, and further negates the operator's ability to surprise, shock, and secure the subject. The rifles of prior art have essentially no noise suppression in these close combat situations, and the magazine itself due to its position on the rifle and metallic materials of construction certainly contribute to the risk of a failed sound discipline strategy.
Another drawback seen with mainly military units is the increased availability to enemy combatants of technologies once kept within the armed forces such as thermal (IR) or related other night vision technologies. Indeed, with such systems, the operator's previous advantages of night raids have been substantially reduced in value. An additional drawback to prior art magazines is that magazines in general have small seams which can allow contaminants such as dirt and related debris to enter. Over time, if not rectified by regular cleaning and maintenance, the magazine may malfunction.
Yet another drawback of magazines of prior art is that being made of smooth metal, they have the potential to slip when being fired as they offer no ergonomic features such as finger grips, and are less than optimal when encountering the lubricating effect of human sweat on metal. Because of this many shooters wear special shooter gloves that have friction enhancements such as rubber grips. Although this can be effective, if these gloves are forgotten or misplaced during an operation, the operator will be at a substantial disadvantage. The final drawback to magazines of prior art is that they require the professional shooter to use tactical vests to carry extra ammunition. These vests typically store magazines by using bulky tubular pockets sewn into the vest to carry individual magazines. Because the magazines are metallic and smooth and these vests are made with different degrees of snugness to prevent magazines from falling out, some users have complained that it takes too long to draw a fully loaded magazine during a tactical combat situation.
A thorough survey of existing magazine carrier patents does not reveal any prior art magazine carriers that have any of the unique capabilities of the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,887,977 entitled Magazine Carrier and issued to Ralph discloses a boxlike magazine carrier that has a side clip suitable for attachment to articles of clothing. U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,065 also entitled Magazine Carrier and issued to Faifer discloses a similar boxlike carrier that also has side clips of a slightly different design also for attachment to the uniform of the firearm user. U.S. Pat. No. 8,104,656 entitled Spare ammunition magazine carrier with pivotable flap and issued to George discloses a magazine carrier that has a pivotable flap to expose the top of a magazine inserted into the carrier and designed to be worn on a belt as part of a uniform. U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,908 entitled Spare magazine carrier with retractable flap issued to Groover discloses yet another boxlike magazine carrier designed for wearing on the belt but instead having a flap that can be retracted downwards to allow access to the stored magazine. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,323 entitled Magazine carrier for use on firearms or other support and issued to Musgrave discloses a magazine carrier with a spring loaded mechanism for keeping a magazine securely stored while allowing removal with only one hand.
To this end, there exists the need for a magazine carrier that can accommodate the needs of not only the modern day police officer and soldier, but also for more advanced users, to include those in the special operations community. It is the object of the present invention to address the modern user needs by providing truly unique capabilities, and shooting experience, that go beyond just the capability to carry magazines by providing additional features which shall be discussed presently.